Tornadoes of 2017
This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2017, primarily (but not entirely) in the United States. Most tornadoes form in the U.S., although some events may take place internationally, particularly in parts of neighboring southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer season. Some tornadoes also take place in Europe, e. g. in the United Kingdom or in Germany. There have been 168 reports of tornadoes in the United States in 2017 so far, of which at least 100 have been confirmed. A total of 92 tornado-related deaths have occurred worldwide as of March 24: all in the United States (5 fatalities occurred due to winter storm conditions during a winter storm in Early January). Currently, 2017 is one of the most active first quarters since 2008, and one of the fastest starting years on record in terms of the tornado count. __TOC__ Statistics *Other tornado outbreaks have been confirmed in each month, but statistics for these tornadoes have yet to be officially released. Most notably, 53 confirmed tornadoes occurred on February 25, another 64 occurred between March 21-23, and another outbreak currently in evaluation occurred on March 29-31, all of which are currently in the process of being documented and released. United States January Extreme levels of tornadic activity took place in January. There were 167 preliminary reports of tornadoes in the United States in January, of which at least 131 were confirmed. This is nearly 4 times the monthly average of 35, and the most active January since 1999. 'January 5-7' On the evening of January 5, a series of destructive tornadoes impacted areas in Mississippi and Alabama, resulting in multiple fatalities and major damage across densely populated areas. During that evening, a large EF4 wedge tornado touched down in extreme western Lee County with major damage occurring in Tupelo. The Tupelo tornado completely destroyed numerous homes and vehicles along its path and killed 19 people. The parent storm system went on to produce several other tornadoes across the Southern United States into the next two days. Overall, the storm system produced 31 tornadoes, along with significant snowfall and flooding. February Similar to the previous month, above average activity occurred in February. There were 151 preliminary reports of tornadoes in the United States in February, of which at least 71 were confirmed. This is over twice the national average of 29 tornadoes. 'February 25' *All ratings are preliminary. Surveys are being be conducted, which may reveal the presence of additional tornadoes and higher damage than initially assigned. The February 25, 2017 tornado outbreak was a violent outbreak of 53 tornadoes which took place in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds more. Details on the outbreak are still being released, and at least one tornado which hit the Jacobs Fork area in North Carolina has been rated EF4. March 'March 15' An event hastened by the passage of Winter Storm Stella occurred in Tennessee on March 15, with the worst damage occurring in Nashville. On that day, twelve tornadoes swept through Middle Tennessee—two of them touching down in Nashville, causing significant damage to the downtown and East Nashville areas. Nashville became the first major city in nearly 6 years to have an EF2 or larger tornado make a direct hit in the downtown area. 'March 21-23' The March 21-23 Central US tornado outbreak produced at least 64 tornadoes across the region including a very long tracked EF4 tornado that traveled for 90 miles. April Category:Tornado-related lists by year